One Month Out of Time
by BethyBoo97
Summary: This is a prologue to 'Who Is She'. One month, it's just a months deviation from her normal life and then she can get it all back. A month out of the time in her life.


**A/N So I decided to do a sequel to my story 'Who Is She?', it's quite important to have read that first, or you could wait until this is finished and then read that one? It's up to you I guess. Anyway I've planned this to be 3 chapters but anything could happen when it comes to fic world, so we'll see. I'll stop rambling now and let you read the story. I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to read your reviews.**

**Beth xx**

If this was the menopause then it wasn't as bad as everyone made out, Sandra thought as she sat in the doctors waiting room. Fair enough she was a bit more tired than she used to be, fair enough she'd put on a little bit of weight, but if that was it then she really didn't understand what other people were complaining about. As she looked around the doctors room she was sat in, she re-evaluated her earlier thought; she hated doctors surgeries. It was mid-afternoon so the waiting room seemed to be full of older people and mothers with their toddlers, who didn't look at all in need of a visit to a doctor as they ran riot around the chairs.

"Sandra Pullman." A woman who appeared about Sandra's age called from the doorway of a long hallway. Sandra stood up and followed the woman into a small office. "So what seems to be the problem?" The doctor asked cheerily.

"It's not a problem as such, I think I'm going through the menopause but my boys said I should be checked out just in case." Sandra sighed, remembering her boys, especially Gerry's, insistence that she got checked out.

"How old are you?"

"46." Sandra replied.

"That's a bit young to be experiencing the menopause, not unheard of though, what symptoms have you been experiencing?" The doctor asked, if Sandra had been one to worry about herself then she would be by this point, but she wasn't.

"I'm feeling tired most of the time and I ache whenever I move."

"Okay, it could be an infection. I'd like you to go to the toilets just down the corridor and produce a urine sample for us and we'll do a quick screen on it." Sandra took the sample pot that the doctor handed her and headed to the toilet, she didn't know they were making such a fuss. All she'd wanted was them to say, 'yes you're experiencing the menopause, there's nothing we can do' and 'you'll be fine'.

"There." Sandra said as she passed the pot to the doctor, who left to drop it quickly into the lab. "While we're waiting for those, I'd like to get some more information from you please."

"Fine." Sandra sighed.

"When was the last time you engaged in sexual intercourse?" The doctor asked to a now shocked Sandra.

"That's a bit personal isn't it?"

"I'm sorry Sandra but I need to know, I'm trying to rule out infections and that includes sexually transmitted ones."

"Last night." Sandra gave in.

"And was it with a regular partner?"

"He's not my boyfriend if that's what you mean, we're just friends who have been sleeping together for the past 10 months."

"Of course that's not what I meant Sandra. Have you had intercourse with anyone else?"

"No."

"Has he?"

"I doubt it, I'm not sure how he'd find the time."

"Okay, and do you two use protection?"

"No, I'm too old to get pregnant and I trust that he hasn't got an STI. Can I go back to work now?"

"I'll just go and pick up the results and then you're free to go."

"Thank you." Sandra replied, she hadn't meant to let it come out rudely but she couldn't hide the fact that she was less than thrilled about being there.

"Okay Sandra, I have your results here."

"What is it then?" Sandra asked, her voice displaying just how fed up of this she was.

"You're pregnant." The doctor told her as she watched Sandra's face turn a ghostly shade of pale.  
"No, you have my results mixed up with someone else. No, I'm not pregnant." Sandra insisted.

"Well I could do a quick scan and check if you like?"

"Fine but do it quickly and then you can go and tell some younger woman that she's expecting and tell me that I'm experiencing menopause and I can leave and get back to my normal life."

"Can you lay on the bed for me please?"

Sandra lay on the bed, the gel was on her tummy and a probe was pressing into different areas of her abdomen as it glided over the gel. She was too scared of looking up at the monitor, too scared that the doctor would be right, and she wasn't willing to even acknowledge the possibility of that.

"I'm sorry Sandra, you're 8 months pregnant. Looking at this I'd say your baby will be due about the 12th October."

"No. I'm not pregnant."

"The scan of your tummy says otherwise, you're expecting a little girl in just under a month. Seeing as you've had no prenatal care, I'd like you to see this midwife." The doctor began as she turned to pick up a card that had the midwife's name and number on. Sandra didn't say anything as she wiped the gel of her stomach, collected her bag and run out of the doctors surgery before the doctor had a chance to say anything.

There was no way that the doctor was lying, after all she'd caught sight of the baby on the monitor, she kept trying to tell herself that it wasn't true but she couldn't even manage to convince herself. She jumped into her car and headed back to work, she knew that this wasn't something that'd go away if she ignored it, but she was going to try it. If, and when, that failed then she'd think of the practicalities of the situation but that was for later.


End file.
